Escaping Me
by MasterEbonyBlack
Summary: Comfort comes in many forms, sometimes it can be cinnamon rolls at midnight. Has a romantic hint, but only if you want to see it that way. Please Review if you enjoy. Disclaimer: The Naruto Series belongs to someone else.
1. Chapter 1

_**Escaping Me**_

_I do this to escape. Please enjoy._

It was warm, so wonderfully warm, and sweet. The thick white goo covered the inside of her mouth, a drop tried to escape, but skilled fingers swiped it back between her lips. She savored the taste like it was her whole world for that moment, and in that second it was. She swallowed right before she caught his voice. "Cinnamon Rolls again?"

The woman whirled in a rush to face him, almost throwing her food into the plate and hastily moving herself in front of it to hide her treat. "I can smell them you know, you don't need to hide it." His voice was always so deep, it was even more so now, full with sleep and in the hush of the night. "Neji-niisan, I didn't mean to wake you." He smiled at her like you would a child who was apologizing for nothing.

"You thought you could make those and not wake someone? Please, Hinata-sama, you live in a house of ninja. I'm just the only one who actually got out of bed." He shook his head at her before striding into the kitchen area. He swept past her and to the refrigerator. He pulled an orange from the inside of the machine and turned toward the central counter where she was at. She's returned to her roll, but as she spotted him looking at her she glanced away, and blushed slightly.

"You are a strange woman..." The words were barely above as whisper as he found himself a stool. "Niisan..." She murmured and looked down at her fidgeting hands. "You get up in the dead of night to have a snack, and then get embarrassed over it. I've already found you in the act, why not just enjoy yourself?" The girl looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Father does not approve of such childish things, you know that." The jonin laughed, a rich rumbling sound. It made her stare at him. Had she ever heard him laugh before?

"What's so funny?" Her voice was high like she was straining not to raise her volume for fear of waking others. "You think he cares..." The man started peeling the fruit as he continued. "He knows you're up in the middle of the night, I think if he were concerned he'd be the one in here, not me." He tossed the first bit of peel aside and eyed her as he keep at his task. "He may not approve to your face, but has he ever stopped you from having such things?" The question hung in the air as she looked at him wide eyed.

Hinata looked down at her plate, she couldn't meet those intense eyes. "Well, no... It's just he's so strict about everything. He used to not let us have sweets." "So why hasn't he stopped you?" The young woman raised her head just enough to look at his expression. He gave her nothing, and his hands were still busy with the food, which told her nothing either. "I don't know." She said it like it was a confession to some crime, and she caught the way he shook his head and looked at his work.

They remained in silence for a few moments, she waited for him to start eating before continuing with her roll. She looked up startled when she heard his stool move. The young jonin stood as she watched and for a second it occurred to her how fast he had eaten. Then again she only had two bites of her cinnamon roll left, and it had been a big one. The girl watched him as he moved around the kitchen going about the tasks of cleaning his space and his hands.

He moved like he was in a complete state of relax, that wasn't normal. Most of the time he was always tense, like he expected someone to come out of no where and challenge him, but right now he was calm and his actions somehow more fluid then what she usually saw. He stopped just a few inched from her, and she realized she'd been studying him. "Something wrong?" The ripple of his voice thru the silence jolted her, and as she moved her stool shifted. The girl should have fallen had it not been for a pair of large hands that shot out to grab her.

The wooden seat crashed to the floor as Hinata found herself held tight to a bare chest that she hadn't really noted before. Why did it take her that long to realize his state of dress? Probably because that was just how he dressed at night, it wasn't like she hadn't seen him like this before. More so it was that she'd never realized he was this warm, or maybe that she'd never thought her sleeping gown was so thin until then. A hot blush spread up her face as he sat her down.

Neji didn't notice her blush as he moved around and sat the stool up, checking it for damages as he did. He looked up at her as he knelt there, those big Hyuuga eyes full of question. "Are you alright?" The woman nodded fervently as she turned her head to hide her blush behind her dark hair. "Yes... Sleep well Neji-niisan." The man nodded and dismissed himself. The kunoichi looked at her plate and the last bit of cinnamon roll there. She shook herself out of her embarrassment as she reached for it, gobbling it down like she needed the distraction.

The woman cleaned up after herself. As she sat the plate back in the cabinet she spook in the quiet to herself. "I thought this was supposed to be my safe place..." She closed the door quietly. Staring at the wood she let her thoughts wander. Then something Neji had said came back to her. "If he was concerned he'd be the one here instead..." She blinked and looked down trying to figure out what that meant. Had Neji been coming to check if she was alright? Did that mean he worried about her? She wasn't sure, she couldn't be.

The chunin considered other possibilities, but she didn't know for sure. She'd been doing this for a long time. Anytime she needed to think she'd get up like this. The sweet treats were her comfort food, they helped her to relax, to escape all the pressures of the world. She'd been doing it a lot recently. Had Neji ever done this before? No, not that she remembered. There was once she fell asleep in here, thinking, and had woken with a blanket around her shoulders. She'd thought that was her sister's doing. Was she wrong?

Hinata found herself halfway to his room before she realized what she was doing. The older ninja would probably already be back in his bed asleep. She whirled around, and almost screamed as she came face to face with the man she sought. His eyes showed a moment of emotion before it was gone and he laid a hand on her, to steady her motion. "Are you sure you're alright?" Neji looked down at her with that look he got when she'd done something he wasn't sure what to make of. The woman shook her head again. "Say it." She looked up at him confused.

"Say it. Say you're alright." He squeezed her shoulder just slightly. "Why?" Her voice had trembled, and his look darkened as he watched her. "You just shook your head a minute ago, and I accepted that. Now you look worried, and I'm not going to just leave you alone this time until you actually say you're alright." His tone was deep, a touch of force in it, but he was trying not to startle her. The girl looked up at him, and forced a smile. "I'm alright, really." He gave her eyes that didn't look like he believed her.

"You never do this when you're alright." The words made her expression shift, at the same time she was shocked, and also somehow pleased. He had noticed her all these years, of course, how could he not... The young woman looked away from him the way she did so often when she didn't know what to do. "No, I'm fine." She tried to make him believe her, but her voice was still weak. Her eyes went wide as a hand touched her chin and he made her look at him again.

His eyes were hard, but they were the only thing about his face that told her what he might be thinking. She could practically hear him saying the words 'no you're not', but they never came. After a few seconds of that cold look he released her and stepped past the girl like she didn't exist. Disappearing down the hall, and into his room. It left her standing there, and as she turned to look after him, she saw his door close. The woman sighed heavily, that was not what she expected. She shook her head, and went toward her own room in the other direction.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was just thinking too much of things. Maybe she was just being too much or a worrier. Did it really matter if Neji had come to see if she was okay? She rolled in her covers. Staring at the ceiling like it would answer her, she felt lonely. This was going to bother her, it always did when something involved her cousin. He was so hard to read. She shifted again, and looked at the dancing animals painted on her walls. Why did it matter to her if she was making him worry? She bit her lip. That was easy to answer, she felt guilty.

She knew now what had happened to his father. She hadn't known for years that the reason Neji had been so angry for so long was because of her. If she hadn't been kidnapped his father would not had to sacrificed himself. The young woman frowning at the metallic taste in her mouth. She shouldn't of done that, and as she sucked at the injury only reminded her of her weaknesses. She turned into her pillow and rubbed her face against it. She'd gotten up to try to escape such a simpler problem, and now she was never going to sleep because of it.

Hinata took a deep breath as she tried to let her mind come unfocused. Thru her training she'd always been taught to focus on one thing with all her strength, to hold that target in mind at all times. That training sucked when she was alone and only had problems to keep her mind active. When she would focus on those things it was never a good experience. She couldn't make her problems go away like she could put an enemy down in combat, they just weren't that simple. The woman finally let herself relax as she made her mind study the still and quiet of the blackness in her head. Just considering the night and all it's peace. She slept with only the stars and crickets to keep her company. It was easier then she'd thought it would be. Then again, is it ever really that hard to rest when you know someone nearby is watching out for you?


	2. Chapter 2

_**Escaping Me**_

_What else should I have said?_

The snap of cloth beating against itself from speed, and the rush of his measured breaths together were almost mesmerizing in their consistency. Every motion planned and memorized like his life depended on them, and sometimes it did. The subtle way he corrected mistakes she barely caught as he moved was almost maddening. It made her want to yell at him that he didn't have to have every single hair in place when he landed a blow. Of course his measure of perfection was likely why he out ranked her.

It was still irritating to see him adjust every little thing, sometimes by a barely visible amount, just to get it to what he considered 'right'. He stopped for a moment. His arm stretched out and his palm flat, facing her with his other hand ready for a following strike. His eyes meet her equally pale ones, and his brow furrowed at her expression. "Is there something wrong, Hinata-sama?" He straightened as he spoke, his words were concerned.

That made her realize she'd been staring, like a fool. "Oh! No, Neji nii-san." She tried to smile up at him, but the older Hyuuga didn't seem satisfied with her answer. "You looked upset; that's not like you." She glanced away and then rose to her feet quickly. "No, no… I just don't understand." He stepped closer as she spoke, and caught her wrist when she was about to turn away. "Understand what?" Her pale eyes flicked to his hand and then up at his face. He didn't usually touch people if he didn't have to.

"It's nothing…" She tried to tug free of his grasp, but he held on. "You never glare like that for nothing." His voice was firmer then she'd expected, and the look on his face had gone flat, the kind of look he got when a mission wasn't going like it should. She hadn't really been glaring, had she? No surely she hadn't, or at least she hadn't meant to. She didn't know what to do, so she just went with the truth. "I don't understand why you keep trying to fix something that's not broken."

That made him blink at her, and his grip relaxed with his confusion. She stepped away swiftly, and was in the doorway of the house before he spoke. "What do you mean? What am I trying to fix?" She looked at him with an expression he didn't know what to make of and replied like it was obvious. "Yourself," then she was into the darkness of the house.

"What?" But she was already gone. Neji stood there a moment, and his eyes went down as he tried to understand. He stayed like that for a few seconds before turning back toward the training area, and returning to his work. "I'm not fixing, I'm just perfecting." He said it to himself, and it wasn't the first time he'd told himself something similar, still she'd rattled him. Usually he tried not to think of his training as anything more then normal; that was what was expected of him. What right did she have to judge him anyway?

It was none of her business what he did, or why. His eyes narrowed as the exchange wore at the back of his mind. His movements sped up and became more strained, until something broke, that break being in the seam of his tunic, right at the point where the sleeve and the torso meet. His purple hued eyes looked at the tear with irritation rolling through them. He didn't have a clean spare, and continuing would only make repairing it harder. He'd have to give up his training for the day. Maybe karma was playing for Hinata today.

He shook his head and went for the house. What was it to her if he was trying to get everything just right? It wasn't like he was competing with her for anything, was he? He stopped with his hand on his door, standing in the frame. Was that it? He'd accepted his place, for now, he didn't have to beat her at anything. Even her father had accepted him as a gifted student. His brows went up. "Is that it?" Never once had she objected to her father training him, even seemed to encourage it, but again and again she'd end up sitting on the side lines watching the two of them, like she had watched him earlier. Not getting to be part of it. Had that always bothered her? Why hadn't he ever noticed?

He turned from his door and headed for hers. He was only a few steps down the hall when her door came open. Hinata darted out and down the other hall, a backpack in tow. She wasn't supposed to be meeting her team today, at least that he knew of, but she was definitely going somewhere. Neji made the decision to follow her, it seemed wrong for her to be taking off like that. He turned down the hall after her, realizing she hadn't headed toward the exit of the compound. That didn't make much sense to him, making him speed up.

Neji came out of the house into the western yard just as the girl vaulted up over the far wall and out into the forest beyond. He was quick on her tail as soon as he was sure she wouldn't notice him trailing. She was fast though, faster then he'd ever given her credit for. He had to be careful in his chase. It wasn't hard she wasn't trying to hide at least. Then the tree line broke into a small clearing.

The young man came to a stop in the patched shadows of the trees. He could see the ground spreading out like normal, but she was gone. He held his breath a moment to listen. The soft trickle of water made him look out ahead again, and he realized the clearing wasn't that short before it hit the trees again, it was the angles that had made it look like a normal spread. He spotted the edge of the drop off that made an over-hanging, that meant Hinata hadn't disappeared she'd just dropped down below eye level.

He stepped back a bit further and activated his Byakugan so he could see without exposing himself. There she was knelt down with her backpack open, pulling out a stack of scrolls. Then she stood and started opening them, and placing them around her, some on the ledge of rock that hid her, some on the other side of the stream, all around her. He recognized the symbols on them as weapon summoning scrolls. They could hold dozens each, and she was stepping back toward the starting point where her backpack laid.

He realized, as she finished preparing the area, that it was his turn to watch her train. Her private form of training was something he hadn't seen before, and it was like art in motion. She'd moved with such a fluid rhythm, even when she'd twist to shoot chakra at the scrolls to make them expel their contents in waves of flashing silver and black, that it was like she was dancing to her own music. Her movements weren't like his they were far more natural, like it was as normal to her as breathing. This was a gift that was being nurtured in its own way, not forced to be perfect, but beautiful in its lack of absolutes.

It didn't occur to him till she'd stopped and was looking exactly in his direction that she could see him just as easily as he could see her. She had a kind of rebellion in her eyes, like she dared him to come out and contradict her methods. Then she turned and his gaze moved to follow, spreading his sight enough to catch what she stared at. Shino stalked carefully along the bank of the stream, and greeted his cousin. It was obvious Neji had no more reason to be here.

He retreated, not sure what he'd say when he saw her next or if he should even address it at all. Had he been right then? Was it that she thought he was so far ahead of her, because of his style of training, that to watch him make such minor changes to his art, destroyed the perfection that she believed that she saw? If that was it then what was that performance he'd just witnessed. Her use of the family style was completely different then his, or even her father's. It was unique and he had to admit, from what he'd seen, that it could be just as powerful. What was that, if she thought his version was perfect? Had she known he was following and done that for him to see? If that was the case why did Shino show up just then?

The questions still rolled in his head as he reached the compound wall again. He stopped there and reached out to a note on the stone. 'Leave the shirt by my door and I'll fix it for you.' He read it again, it was her handwriting, he was sure of it, but that meant... His head snapped back and he looked in the direction he'd come again. She knew that he would see her. He put a hand to his forehead, truly confused now. She'd wanted him to see? Why? She usually tried to go train by herself, he'd known that, and had respected it till now. So why had she baited him to come watch her?

He crumpled the note then shoved it into a pocket, and headed for his room again. He threw his clothing on the floor and grabbed his things for the bath. He thought it'd clear his mind, and he stayed there for a while longer then needed before coming back to his room in his casual wear. He gathered his torn shirt up and folded it as nicely as he could with the damage, then went toward her room for the second time that day.

He was leaned over, about to leave the tunic there, when her door slid open. It was a bit of an awkward position for him, suddenly looking up at her from waist height. Her face was warped in concern and her eyes worried. "You won't tell father will you?" The soft murmur of her voice made him realize that this was the timid Hinata he was used to, not the one that had been so seemingly irritated with him earlier. Her annoyances aside she must have panicked about what he might do or say now that he'd seen her training style. Did she think he'd turn her in like it was some kind of criminal act? Well, maybe her father would see it that way, but still why would he say anything?

He rose up to a more respectable height again, careful not to bump into her as he did. Her pale eyes meet his, wide with concern, and her teeth worrying at her lip. "You'll make it swell, if you chew on it like that." His warning didn't seem to break her train of thought. "Please Neji!" He watched her face, and the way her eyes seemed to fill with all the thoughts running thru her head. "You're being stupid… I don't have any reason to talk to your father right now, and nothing to tell him about today if I did." He watched the way her face changed, and it made a smile tug at his lips as the relief settled over her.

"Thank you Nii-san!" She chimed as she reached out toward him. His eyes shot down as she touched him and he started to jerk back in reflex, then he realized she had hold of his tunic. "Don't you want me to fix it?" Her voice brought his gaze back up to her face, and the confusion now resting there. He looked at her, really looked at her for a moment. How in hell was this timid innocent girl the same woman he had watched this afternoon putting his training to shame with a dance so beautiful he hadn't been able to get it out of his mind sense?

He held on to the shirt for a second longer then let her take it as he spoke. "No, I don't want you to fix it?" She stared at him, with something close to fear in her white eyes, "Why not?" He wasn't sure quite how else to say it. "Because it doesn't need fixing, it just needs to be what you want it to be." They stood there a moment as she looked up at him, and the words sunk in. "You don't mean your shirt, do you?" She said it with hesitation in her voice, but a slight smile on her lips. "No, I don't." They stood there a moment longer in silence and a common respect, even understanding.

She'd just been upset that he was trying so hard at something that came so naturally to him. He was making things more difficult then they had to be, that's why she'd let him follow her. If she'd wanted to she could have waited to go till he was where he wouldn't notice. It hadn't occurred to her till afterward what he might say to her father. She wasn't using the traditional methods, and he was all about tradition. She didn't know what he'd do if he knew how she trained, and if it was Neji that told him she could only imagine what might happen.

But Neji wouldn't tell her father. Another smile parted her features as she stepped back into her room and Neji went back toward his. He would let her do things her own way so she supposed she should let him do things his way too, even if it did drive her crazy to see him put so much work into fixing what she didn't think needed it. Her style was another story. She'd struggled for so long to finally discover what worked to her. She just couldn't follow the rigid training of the rest of the family, it didn't flow for her, but that didn't make it wrong as long as it worked. She still didn't think she'd gotten it quite down yet, even if Shino did encourage her constantly.

She grinned then, he was a good friend. Shino was always so quiet, but if ever she needed support he'd be right there for her. Neji was usually there for her too, though even more muted then Shino. At least Shino would voice his support. Neji would just stand back and let her do her own thing. He'd be there to defend her if she needed him to, but he wouldn't actively encourage her. Maybe that was part of why she'd wanted to show him what she could do.

He would train his way, she'd train hers, and maybe someday they'd find out who's method had been better. But that wouldn't be today, so why worry about it? They'd come to that point soon enough. It was really just a matter of time, they'd fight again someday. Her father would see to that, and till then she'd train hard so that she could actually be a challenge for him when it happened. She wouldn't settle for being called the heir just because she was born to it. She had to earn it, one way or another she had to become strong enough to feel like she deserved that position.

It wasn't pride, and it wasn't because that was what was expected of her. It was something more important then those things. She had to feel like she hadn't just been lucky, or rather unlucky, to be born into this position. It wasn't just herself she had to earn it for either. Almost everyone in the clan had been swayed into seeing that Neji was more gifted then her, but they still wouldn't accept him as equal because of being a branch member. He might have done everything perfect, even following their traditions, but he'd never be good enough to them, just like he'd never be good enough for himself.

That was why she had to get strong enough to challenge him. Because if she could challenge him, and he still won time and again, maybe they'd end up opening their eyes to what he could be. If she could be a respectable heiress and he still bested her, then perhaps he could be given the position he deserved in the family. She had to be good, she had to become a rival to his skill, but she'd be happy being second if that gave him a chance at what he really wanted.

Her thoughts had wondered so that she was done before she realized it. She had to keep her plan to herself. He'd never respect her if he got so much as a hint that she might let him beat her at anything. She'd train hard, and really make him have to try to be the better of them. That would give them both a goal. That meant more afternoons by the river with Shino, but that was okay too. She enjoyed their training together, and so did he, at least that's what she thought.

She held up her handy work, making sure the tear was full repaired and strong. Her hands rubbed at the cloth and stretched it, testing its limits; since she was sure Neji would the next time he wore it. She folded it back up and put her sowing kit away before padding down the hall. She laid the shirt down at its owner's door, and went on to prepare for the evening meal. Already musing over what she'd like to have, and if she should help the cook.

Neji watched her, sweeping back down the hall, as he retrieved his tunic. She was off in her own head again. She'd have likely yelped had he opened the door when he'd heard her. The thought made his mouth turn up just a bit. How did such a ditz do the kind of things like he'd seen today? So much focus and precision, such grace and power, but still so natural that it was breathtaking. How could that person, who'd woven such a mesmerizing dance, be the same girl who had been so panicked just a while ago? Confidence embodied, versus this flighty girl. He shook the thoughts away again. He'd have to keep a closer watch on her. If he wasn't careful she might just surprise him again or worse surpass him, but even that idea didn't bother him as much as it would have not so long ago.


End file.
